3:5
There are various flaws in the argumentation of the sceptics. They assumed that the world has always been the same as it is today, Peter reminds them that the earth has not always been the same, rather it was created by God. The steady-state view of the universe has a very long history, and the big-bang view, which is now prevalent, actually had a hard time taking hold. However, the scientific evidence now points predominantly to the universe having a beginning. A common (but not universal) atheistic view is the materialistic view, ie that what we see is all there is, that material is the only reality. This view too is wrong because the truth is that God has created all things. The emphasis on water is a reference to Gen 1:2. The world was created by God’s word. God’s word is more reliable than the idle musings of men.
3:6
Peter seems to be somewhat obsessed with water, maybe it is because of his time as a fisherman, and the experiences with Jesus involving water. The story of Noah also seems to be particularly important to him, as he referred to Noah in his first letter as well. Judgement came upon the world because of its sin.
3:7
Peter is emphasising the priority of the Word of God. The universe was created by the word of God, and judgement has been executed in the past by the word of God. Jesus has declared that He will return and will return to judge the whole world. So we can be absolutely sure that this will happen. It is the sceptics who are basing their lives on a foundation of sand. Judgement will come, so the wise man ensures that he gets right with God. It is worth noting that all the New Testament writers, and Jesus Himself, placed considerable emphasis on judgement. In the church today we place too little emphasis on this.
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